Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The McCourt vs. McCourt divorce trial reconvened yesterday, and here's what we've learned in yet another day of Lifestyles of the Rich and Reprehensible:

1. The University of Maryland Law Degree does not emphasize reading the fine print (let alone reading in general). How else to explain Jamie McCourt's testimony on the stand Monday, as chronicled by the LA Times:

Jamie McCourt stuck to her story all afternoon Monday. Under cross-examination, she repeated that she believed the disputed agreement she and her estranged husband signed in 2004 permitted Frank McCourt to present himself as the sole owner of the Dodgers but did not mean the baseball team would be his in the event of divorce.

“That is as fictional as Harry Potter,” said Steve Susman, one of Frank McCourt's attorneys, outside court.

Under fierce questioning, Jamie did not back down from her assertions that she neither read nor understood the agreement and that no one had properly explained it to her.

Susman, who emphasized that Jame once practiced law, walked her through the agreement and the cover letter that accompanied it, with Jamie deflecting numerous questions by saying she did not understand the language or could not recall discussing it.

2. Vegetables are also getting caught in the McCourt crossfire. I'm not talking about the four McCourt kids, either. It turns out even vegetables high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese (while being low in saturated fat and sodium!) aren't nutritional enough to avoid being maligned by the McCourts:

Jamie also shed more light into the dynamics of the McCourt marriage by discussing a handwritten note from March 31, 2004, the day the agreement was signed. It turns out Jamie had an acronym for her husband’s apparent frequent yelling.

The McCourts flew from Massachusetts to California that day, and Jamie wrote in her note that “Frank freaked out because we had to land in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for no apparent reason. That means YAM.”

And what did YAM mean?

“That means he is yelling at me,” she said.

3. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is not sending its annual Christmas card to the McCourts. Not that the McCourts are worried about corn processors, but still.

"“That is as fictional as Harry Potter,” said Steve Susman, one of Frank McCourt's attorneys, outside court"

Silly muggle, he's trying to fool other muggles magic doesn't exist, when we all know McCourt imperiused a lot of people in order to buy one of the most storied and beloved teams in baseball with a parking lot.